St. Paul daily globe., 1887-12-02
GOSSIP FOR TWO CONTINENTS.

The Death of Mrs. Maria L..
Granger Revives the Old Sensa-
ton of Gen. Granger's Double
Marriage.
Mrs. Maria l.. Granger, widow of
Gen. Gordon Granger, late of the Fif-
teenth infantry, and who died i'll 1876,
died at her home in Lancaster, KY, the
10th ult. The announcement of the
death of this estimable lady will revive
the deplOrable circumstances connected
with her marriage to Capt. Frank Blair,
Fifteenth infantry, which event was
celebrated at Lancaster, KY, Sept. II,
1878. Scarcely had this marriage been
cOnsummated when the war department
at Washington was Informed that a
former wife of Blair'S. accompanied by
her three children, who claimed the
captain as the author of their being, had
arrived from Scotland. The prominence
of the parties neceSSitated an inVeStiga-
ton, which furnished food for the gos-
sips of two continents for several
years and led to the trial of Blair
by court martial. Evidence was
produced proving that Blair, under
the name of Thomas NichOll,
had married wife No. at Glasgow,
Scotland, Feb. %, 1861; that about the
time of his second marriage he caused
to be printed and sent to her paper
purporting to have been issued from the
war department and accepting his reslg-
nation, coupled with leave of absence
until Sept. 80, 1878. at which time the
said resignation was to take effect This
he did to mislead her as to his where
abOuts and prevent her coming to Amer
lea, he having made up his mind to con-
ceal himself from and abandon her.
The name of the first wife was Ann
Baille Mitchell. The captain was tried
at Governors Island and sentenced to
be dismissed from the service. The
effect of the expose so Frustrated Mrs.
Granger that for a long time her life
was deSpaired of, and the few years
that interYened before death claimed
her were full of mental anguish and
bodily suffering. T.
MINOR NOTES. -
A detachment of eighty recruits for
the Seventh cavalry arrived at Fort
Smelling yesterday from Jefferson bar
racks, Mo-, under command of Capt.
John q. Adams, First cavalry. These
men have been assigned by the depart
ment commander as follows: Troop a,
Fort Keogh. 10: Troop B, Fort Meade,
10; Troop E, Fort Yates. Is; Troop F.,
Fort Meade, IL; Troop III. Fort Yates,
Fort Meade, IL; Troop l., Fort Meade,
s. A detachment of recruits left Smell
ing Yesterday, under command of Lieut..
A. S. Frost, Twenty-fifth infantry, des-
tined for posts in Dakota.
Lieut.. John Biddle, chief engineer
officer of the department of Dakota, has
completed the survey of the Crow In
dian reservation, to which duty he was
assigned in August last, and rejoined at
department headquarters. Lieut.. Bid
die will, in few days, be relieved
from duty in this city, the war depart
ment having selected him as instructor
of scientific and practical engineering
at the West Point military academy.
The commanding officer, Fort Smell
ing, is ordered to send to Mandan, OAK.
under charge of a commissioned officer,
the recruits for the Twelfth infantry
now at that post, as follows: Fort
Abraham Lincoln, Dak., II; Fort Yates,
Dak, q. An officer from each of the
posts will be sent to Mandan to receive
them. With this detachment will be
forwarded all select and casuals destined
for these posts and points ell route.
The secretary of war has authorized
the transfer of First Lieutenant James
Z. Eastman, Second artillery, from Bat
terry G to light Battery A, vice First
Lieutenant MelZar c. Richards, who
goes to Battery c.
Lieut.. Col. Joseph r. Smith, surgeon
United States army, the new medical
director for the department of Dakota,
has arrived in st. Paul and assumed his
duties at department headquarters.
All military cOnvicts at the jefferson
barracks depot have been ordered sent
to the Fort LeavenwOrth military
prison under guard of specially as
signed troops.
Lient. j. f. Guilfoyle, adjutant Ninth
cavalry, will on the 18th inst, be mar
ried to Miss Susie B. Lane, daughter of
Maj. William B. Lane, retired, of Car
Isle, Pa.
Assistant Surgeon Francis j. Ives,
L. S. A, will make himself Christ
mas present of life partner in the per-
son of Miss Minnie Megeath, of Omaha.
Neb.
Hospital Steward Herman Miller, now
at Fort Smelling, will proceed at once to
Fort Thomas, Ariz.. and report to the
commanding officer for duty. a.
Corp. Charles Gloster, Company K,
Fifth infantry, now at Fort Monroe,
Va, has been ordered to join his COM
pany at Fort Totten, Oak.
Capt. Chandler P. Eakin, First artil-
lery, is ordered to report in person to
Gen. Howard for examination with
view to his retirement. +
Capt. John Pitman, chief ordnance
officer, has been ordered to department
headquarters, from Fort Lincoln, Dak.,
on public business. 3"
Capt. James F. Simpson, Third
cavalry, has been retired from active
service, to date Nov. 25, 1887. ~
J.